Rochester, Wisconsin Explained

Official Name:Rochester, Wisconsin
Settlement Type:Village
Mapsize:250x200px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Racine
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:45.71
Area Land Km2:45.12
Area Water Km2:0.60
Area Total Sq Mi:17.65
Area Land Sq Mi:17.42
Area Water Sq Mi:0.23
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:3785
Population Density Km2:85.71
Population Density Sq Mi:222.00
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Footnotes:[2]
Elevation M:249
Elevation Ft:817
Coordinates:42.7297°N -88.2531°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP Code
Postal Code:53167
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:55-68575[3]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:1584047
Pop Est Footnotes:[4]

Rochester is a village in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,785 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the former Town of Rochester. On November 4, 2008, the village of Rochester voted to consolidate with the Town of Rochester.[5]

History

The first non-Native American settlers in Rochester were a group of five farming families, who all hailed from the town of Rochester, Vermont after which they gave their new settlement its name. These were "Yankee" settlers, which is to say they were descended from the English Puritans who settled New England during the colonial era. Correspondingly they were members of the Congregationalist Church and were staunch abolitionists. When they arrived in what is now Rochester there was nothing but dense virgin forest and wild prairie. They laid out post routes, built roads, constructed farms and government buildings all within the first few months of settling in what is now Rochester. Due to the Second Great Awakening many of them had become Baptists or converted to either Presbyterianism or Methodism before coming to what is now Walworth County, Wisconsin.[6] [7]

Rochester holds one of the oldest continuously run Memorial Day observances in the nation, having held its first in 1867.[8]

The Village was incorporated in 1912. The Village and Town of Rochester consolidated in 2008.[9]

Geography

Rochester is located at 42.7406°N -88.2239°W (42.740585, -88.224108).[10]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 17.74sqmi, of which, 17.48sqmi of it is land and 0.26sqmi is water.[11]

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census[12] of 2010, there were 3,682 people, 1,343 households, and 1,069 families living in the village. The population density was 210.6PD/sqmi. There were 1,412 housing units at an average density of 80.8/sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 97.8% White, 0.2% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.8% of the population.

There were 1,343 households, of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.4% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 20.4% were non-families. 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.04.

The median age in the village was 42 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 34.9% were from 45 to 64; and 10.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 51.1% male and 48.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 1,149 people, 410 households, and 307 families living in the village. The population density was 2,360.6 people per square mile (905.4/km2). There were 425 housing units at an average density of 873.1 per square mile (334.9/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 97.30% White, 0.09% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.70% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. 3.48% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 410 households, out of which 43.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 30.5% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 6.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $55,063, and the median income for a family was $61,875. Males had a median income of $42,159 versus $30,184 for females. The per capita income for the village was $21,609. About 4.9% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. August 7, 2020.
  2. Web site: US Board on Geographic Names. January 31, 2008. United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007.
  3. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. January 31, 2008.
  4. Web site: Population and Housing Unit Estimates. May 24, 2020. United States Census Bureau. May 27, 2020.
  5. Web site: Home Page . rochesterwi.us . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110719094254/http://rochesterwi.us/consolidation.htm . July 19, 2011.
  6. The Yankee Exodus by Stewart Hall Holbrook pg. 119
  7. History of Walworth County, Wisconsin: Containing an Account of Its Settlement, Growth, Development and Resources; an Extensive and Minute Sketch of Its Cities, Towns and Villages, Their Improvements, Industries, Manufactories, Churches, Schools and Societies; Its War Record, Biographical Sketches, Portraits of Prominent Men and Early Settlers; the Whole Preceded by a History of Wisconsin, Statistics of the State, and an Abstract of Its Laws and Constitution and the Constitution of the United States Brookhaven Press, 1882
  8. Web site: Rochester's Memorial Day Observance One of the Oldest in the Nation . journaltimes.com.
  9. Web site: About the Village . rochesterwi.gov.
  10. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. April 23, 2011. February 12, 2011.
  11. Web site: US Gazetteer files 2010. United States Census Bureau. November 18, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt. January 25, 2012.
  12. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. November 18, 2012.
  13. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. January 31, 2008.